What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like: Being Nice

This post is inspired by something I read this morning and by something I saw on Facebook today that actually caused me to unfriend someone. Gasp!

Let’s assume you’re a nice person, but you’re having a bad day.

How can you be nice even when you don’t feel like it?

You have options!!

1. Be quiet – zip your lips!!

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. – All Moms Ever

2. Consider other assumptions.

Let’s say you’re at a restaurant and the server is messing up your order or not doing a good job and your instinct is to be a jerk about it. Stop. Wait.

Consider what else could be going on in their life. Maybe they are super distracted because their mom died yesterday. Would you still be a jerk if you KNEW that was what the other person was dealing with? No! You’d cut them some slack.
Assume the best intentions and you’ll be a happier more understanding human.

We all have stuff going on in our lives – there have been times that we all haven’t shown up as our best selves. Consider that the person you’re frustrated with is doing the best they can with their current circumstances. You could be the bright spot in their day instead of one more person that adds to the crap of the day.

3. Shift your perspective.

Let’s compare quotes.
I’ve been a fan of this Tony Robbins quote since I first heard it.

“Life is not happening TO you. Life is happening FOR you.”

If you have this perspective that life is happening to you – “I’m a victim, omg why does this always happen to me” – then you’re going to have a hard time in life.
If you can assume that there’s a good reason for everything or find a way to make it a positive in your life, then you’re going to be happier, more creative, and more grateful.

I didn’t like it because it made me feel like whatever is happening is my fault.

Then I realized that was his whole point. Until we are willing to take full responsibility for everything in our life, we won’t have maximum success or happiness. Taking full responsibility means owning our attitude or the fact that we could simply remove ourselves from an undesirable situation.

I don’t know about you – but I want maximum success and happiness.

What do we need to do?

Take full responsibility for our actions and responses to life’s situations. That includes being nice to people and choosing to believe the best intentions even when we don’t FEEL like it.

You CAN do that!

This is Part 2 in a series called What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like…. Here’s Part 1 if you missed it!